Bits and Pieces
by IndigoPenguin
Summary: //His eyes, partially obscured by his hat and hair, were the color of blood. They were also just as warm.--Prompt 37//. The "100 Little Pieces" challenge for Joshua/Natasha. //51--100 up//.
1. Chapter 1

_Just the "100 little pieces" challenge by Miss Selah for Joshua/Natasha, split into two halves. I was inspired to make one after reading the Eirika/Seth version by Nagasasu, as it appears in her story _Crossroads. _Hopefully it's satisfactory!_

_I don't own Fire Emblem. Enjoy, darlings!_

_**100 Little Pieces  
1-50**_

_ 1.Introduction _

Even though he had so casually spoken to her on the streets of Serafew, Joshua was actually hesitant to get to know the cleric. That changed a week later, when she looked to him with a smile and _he swore a mischievous gleam in her eyes, _and said that she wished to learn the name of the man who's hand she was stitching up.

__

2.Love :

He loved watching her heal the wounded, because it had been a long time since he had seen a woman properly use authority.

_  
3. Light :_

"May the Light protect us," She had breathed before they moved into battle. Somehow, he felt safer that day—because Natasha had said the prayer _and the Heavens had to listen to one of their own._

4. Dark :

There were only two times in the war she thought that darkness would win. One was when her own prince destroyed the Stone of Renais. The other was when Joshua silently cried as he set down the body of his mother.__

5. Seeking Solace :

Natasha had been the one to step up and bless the dead each time their army lost a member. He didn't ask her to do so for his mother—he just pulled her into a hug that she returned without words.

_  
6. Break Away :_

"If I didn't see my country for myself...how could I govern my people?" He asked her one night while she ground powder for an antidote. "I had to get out of the palace...can you understand?"

"...I...ran away to become a cleric," She admitted _for the first time_.

__

7. Heaven :

He never really took stock in religion as much as he did in spirituality. So he was overjoyed when the holy woman didn't preach redemption and blasphemy; but simply _was _somebody who would get to Heaven on their own—none of his hated courtliness needed. __

8. Innocence :

A temple wasn't as sheltered as he thought, because as she looked at the corpses that lay on the field, Joshua knew that she had seen this before. _And why couldn't they keep her safe?_

9. Drive :

Natasha sat, terrified, on the seat next to the swordsman. She decided he was never driving her healer's wagon again. _Ever._ __

10. Breathe Again :

Her healing magic had to work, it had to work, it had to work, it had to—.

He took a breath in, and she released her own. __

11. Memory :

That was his mother's ring, she recalled dizzily; so why was he holding it out to _her_?__

12. Insanity :

After Jehanna Hall, fire always got to him. He would sit at the cooking pit and try not to look, but he could still hear his comrades screaming as they looked for an escape route and for _him to _**move** _because his mother was _**dead**_ and he couldn't take her body with him because there was no _**time**And he would end up staring into the blaze, with his mind slipping away into notions of Demon Kings and resurrections and _maybe Lyon had the right idea_...

...Then Natasha would come, and the fire burned forgotten.

__

13. Misfortune :

"Looks like Lady Luck's not on your side today," Joshua said as he held out his hand. She flushed as he pulled her from the ground, up and away from the broken stool she had been standing on. __

14. Smile :

Her face lit up in a tiny smile. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Franz," She softly told the soldier. When she turned to get her medicine vials and saw Joshua holding them out, her smile grew a bit more. __

15. Silence :

"Be quiet! We won't listen to what a _traitor_ has to say!"

"We will not heed your words, traitor Natasha!"

"...Fine. I'll hear you out," He had sighed, lowering his blade. _Thank the Light, she could speak now._

16. Questioning :

"What happened?!" She said, eyes widening at the gash on his thigh. __

17. Blood :

Blood stained her robes, and blood coated his hands, and this time, his bloody skin wasn't from killing. But as Gilliam fell eternally still, Joshua's hands still trying to hold his intestines in while Natasha forced more magic out of her staff; he thought that he'd rather feel the pain of killing a hundred than that of loosing a life. _And Natasha looked like she would, too._

18. Rainbow :

He had started out to get her to see the rainbow stretching across the canyon ridge, but when he found the cleric sleeping, he decided not to wake one beautiful thing to see another. __

19. Gray :

Joshua lied and told her that he had seen a gray hair that morning, just so her hands would run through his tresses for a few moments as she tried to help him find it. __

20. Fortitude :

And she had been the one to turn so unflinchingly at the Demon King, even while he wore the mask of her country's ruler, and say that he was evil, and that he must be stopped. Natasha held none of the doubts of the nobility, and he wondered what made them think they were so strong, anyway. __

21. Vacation :

Rausten was one place neither of them had been before, and he thought it such a shame that they couldn't be seeing it under better circumstances. __

22. Mother Nature :

He had always thought the desert beautiful, but lacking in the department of pretty vegetation. _That_, Joshua said, belonged to Renais and Frelia and every other nation in Magvel—but Natasha simply knelt and pulled a handful of coarse grass from the sand.

It was brown and ugly, he observed as the cleric moved to place it in her satchel. "This will make help a fine remedy for a sunburn," She said to him.

"...Well. It's still ugly."__

23. Cat :

When she took the injured kitten from Cormag, he couldn't help but to feel the urge to attack the man. __

24. No Time :

"I'm sorry, Joshua, but I haven't the time to chat right now. There are too many sick with the fever..."

Too many sick, huh? He only saw Cormag and Knoll and the Silver Knight of Renais—_all, of course, his unspoken rivals!—_in the cots. He wanted to tell her that they could all vomit without her assistance, but that would have made the woman sad. So, he left her with a promise to stop by again later, _when time wasn't so precious_. Natasha wasn't quite sure what he meant. __

25. Trouble Lurking :

There was a gorgon right behind her, and he'd be dammed if he let somebody else rescue her first.__

26. Tears :

Joshua winced as Neimi burst into sobs at seeing her beloved awaken. The high-pitched, keening wails made his ears ache as well as his heart; but Natasha simply sighed as Colm stirred and patted the archer on the back comfortingly.

She told him later that she'd rather see tears of relief than of loss. He told her that he'd rather see no tears at all. __

27. Foreign :

"It's the hair and eyes," She replied when asked how she knew he was from Jehanna, "That coloration is distinct to your particular region of Magvel".

_He _didn't to know she had a thing for accents. __

28. Sorrow :

He had noticed that, in her first few weeks in the army, Natasha seemed rather desolate and mournful. Joshua assumed it was because she was fighting against her own country, but the first time they passed a temple it hit him.

She had lost her mentor just a month prior. _Such sorrow she's held in!_

29. Happiness :

He bet on her happiness. She gave him his. __

30. Under the Rain :

The storm finally began, and the rain hit them both in a cold burst. He turned shocked to his companion, meaning to grab her and run towards camp.

_But Latona, look at that body!_

Joshua managed to laugh and tell her how silly they both looked. __

31. Flowers :

"A bouquet for the lady," He said with a flourish of the flowers in his hand. She smiled and accepted them with a soft thanks. Anyone who looked in soon after that would have seen the two deep in making a strong pain reliever from forty-six, blazing red, poppies.

_He gave her the lilies he had picked later that night._

32. Night :

He had warned the group that nights in Jehanna got chilly. But the sudden dip in temperature still made things rough for the cleric from the seaside, and he cursed his country's climate as he watched her shiver violently from under a cloak.

_  
33. Expectations :_

To serve the people.

That's what was expected from them, albeit in different ways. He saw no reason to not make things more efficient for the both of them and...No, Joshua decided. If he proposed to her with _that_, she'd never say yes.__

34. Stars :

Ismaire told him from a young age that the stars were instruments of the Heavens; beams of light sent to shine on what was beautiful and true even in the darkest of nights. After she helped him through his mother's passing, he decided to try and find the constellation that Natasha had come from. __

35. Hold My Hand :

"Hold my hand, and squeeze if the pain starts getting to you, alright?"

_  
36. Precious Treasure :_

"Joshua...take these." She watched as his mother placed the sacred relics of Jehanna at his side; and Natasha felt her heart tearing as Joshua ignored the items to try to keep his most precious treasure with him.

_  
37. Eyes :_

His eyes, partially obscured by his hat and hair, were the color of blood. They were also just as warm.__

38. Abandoned :

He raced through the burning halls of his home, heart pounding. He had abandoned his country, his duty, and his mother's body—there was no way in Hell he would leave Natasha, too.__

39. Dreams :

In his dreams, he returned home from the war dirty and tired; but his mother stood on the steps of Jehanna Hall. Regal and beautiful as ever, Ismaire stayed motionless until he addressed her. "Mother...was I wrong?"

The Queen of White Dunes would smile, and her arms would open. "No. Welcome home, my child."

In her dreams, she never entered the war. She stayed in the temple with her mentor and continued healing the commoners of Grado, and the man continued to teach her of the ways of the world. "Father, what do we all desire?"

The man would pause, smile, and his robes would flow as he patted her arm. "A home, Sister."

But in both of their dreams, there was also the other. And they needed no questions, because _home _was understood. __

40. Rated :

"...This is horrible," He admitted, grimacing at the taste in his mouth. "I thought that the seafood here was supposed to be superb...".

Natasha sniffed. "Well, Frelian fish _is _overrated, Joshua. If you want good salmon, you have to go to Grado".__

41. Teamwork :

Seth looked pointedly at his bickering knights. "_That_, gentlemen," He said, gesturing towards the swordsman and the cleric—Joshua was coming at the enemy paladin from behind while Natasha distracted him with a Shine spell—"That is how teamwork is _supposed _to look".

_  
42. Standing Still :_

Why was he remaining motionless on the battlefield? That brigand was rushing him, but the man from Jehanna stood impassively with one hand resting on the hilt of his blade, _and weren't you supposed to _dodge_ attacks?!_

Then, in a flash of scarlet and metal, Joshua flew into action. Natasha could barely follow his path as he ran the man through and slid to a pause behind the body; barely taking a second to hover on the verge of stillness before whirling about and sliding, cat-like, to disarm another fighter to his left.

_That was what the wind looked like_, she thought, looking at his feet. They never seemed to touch the Earth below, even when he was so rooted before...__

43. Dying :

He lay on the cavern floor, the hollow body of the Demon King before him. Pain coursed through his awareness, and he knew that if he were to look, he would see his side bent and shredded and crushed and _ruined_. Where was she, he wondered, the angel with her healing magic...? Nausea came, and he convulsed achingly on the stone, choking back bile. _It hurt, it hurt, ohithurtsobadpleasemakeitstop! _

But the pain wasn't coming from his outer wounds. Natasha, he knew, was dead. And he was dying.__

44. Two Roads :

"You're traveling towards a pair of villages, one of which is filled with those who are only honest, and the other filled with liars. Before you reach them, however, you come to a fork in the road. One road goes right, one left, and a man stands in betwixt the two—"

"I ask him to take me to his village," She smiled. "Try again".__

45. Illusion :

The ring holding her head covering on was supposed to give the illusion of a halo. Joshua thought that she needed no such illusion. __

46. Family :

She still wrote to her family from time to time. After receiving a reply to the letter announcing their engagement, she said her parents wished to meet him. He regretted the fact that she couldn't at least meet his mother. __

47. Creation :

"And in the Beginning," She said to him, quietly reciting holy scripture to keep his mind off of the stitches piercing his flesh, "The great Light brought Magvel into creation, and thus brought forth great life...".__

48. Childhood :

"What kind of a childhood was that, fighting in the desert?"

"What sort of one was yours, serving in a temple?"

"I joined the temple when I was fifteen—four years ago—not when I was _nine_."

"...Touché".__

49. Stripes :

As the soldier struck her, bright stripes of white cloth flew from her head. He returned the favor to the man, leaving angry red stripes of blood running down his torso. She assured him she was unharmed, thanked him, and gathered her hair back under what was left of her hood.__

50. Breaking the Rules :

"Joshua, we shouldn't...it's..."

"Natasha," He purred, continuing to move towards her lips, "You _can _break a few rules here and there, can't you?"_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's part two. Hope you enjoy it!_

_**100 Little Pieces**_

_**51-100**_

_Sport :_

She couldn't use her skills for a recreational sport like the rest of the army. The princes of Renais and Frelia would spar for fun (and sometimes to settle matters), knights would run through practice drills...but her healing skills weren't suited to be applied to fun.

It was just as well. Joshua had been taught that _yes_, he could train in swordplay but _no_, he couldn't wield a blade for amusement; so he didn't participate in the dueling games like the other fighters in the army did. Instead, he would stay inside the healer's tent with a certain blonde cleric, where they would pass their free time talking. Conversation was just as good a sport as any.

_  
52. Deep in Thought :_

He was so far inside his own mind, Natasha feared that the ruler of Jehanna was falling into depression. In truth, he was trying to figure out exactly how to propose to her. __

53. Keeping a Secret :

"Don't worry, Joshua," She said to him as she handed back the double-sided coin, "I won't tell anybody that you cheat".

"...Though, you shouldn't..."

_  
54. Tower :_

Joshua was rather tall, and she was rather short; so when he stood up beside her he _towered _over her head by a good eight inches. It was alright with him—higher vantage points meant that he could better watch over her.

_  
55. Waiting :_

Eirika looked at the serious cleric before her. She sat beside his bed with a wet cloth, diligently cleaning the dried blood away from around his head wound, and remained perfectly tranquil and alright with waiting for Joshua to awaken. In fact, after she finished her task and quietly told the princess his status, Natasha settled into a more comfortable position beside the cot—presumably to wait out the rest of the night.

The princess thanked her for her service and exited the tent with a new respect for the woman. _She_ couldn't be so patient in waiting for her loved one to return to consciousness.__

56. Danger Ahead :

"There's a group of mercenaries up ahead, 'Tash, so hang back until I take care of them."__

57. Sacrifice :

The blue glow faded from the deep puncture wound, and as Natasha sighed with a weary relief, he noted that with each healing, she gave a little of herself to help somebody else. He had no doubts that she'd give her _life_ to save somebody else, if need be. And he wished that she didn't take such gambles.

_  
58. Kick in the Head :_

Joshua hadn't been expecting for the man's friend to take out his knees, so he had no choice but to take the harsh kick to his head as best he could. Wincing as the leather of the other man's boot came into contact with the back of his skull, he heard the faint gasp that he _knew _came from Natasha. "Whass' wrong, misther hero? Canshshop us from getting the lady, can you?" The drunken man sneered, moving to kick him again.

But in making the mistake of mocking his opponent; the man had given Jehanna's only heir the chance to recover enough from the blow to fight back. Joshua caught the man's shin and heaved upwards quickly, and he could hear the satisfying _pop_ of a knee coming out of it's socket before he whipped around. Using his assailant like a sword, he effectively knocked out the man's companion, releasing the screaming lout afterwards. The collision with the wall made him go silent—but the rise and fall of his chest confirmed that he was merely unconscious.

"Joshua...!" He looked to the frantic woman and managed a smile, his hand moving to gingerly probe the knot forming under his hat.

"Last time we send _you _on a supply run, Natasha. You keep attracting all sorts of troublesome men..."

_59. No Way Out :_

He saw the knights move to guard the doors and inwardly groaned. Now, if he suddenly turned into a coward and wanted to run away from home _again_, he couldn't. _Way to give me no way out at my wedding, guys..._

60. Rejection :

The elder councilman scoffed. "Lord Joshua, she is from the traitor country _Grado_. She is not fit to become a queen of _anything_, much less _Jehanna_," He said, total rejection for Natasha in his voice.

And the king's eyes flashed like his blade. "Oh?" He said lowly, and the room hushed at the intensity in his tone _that hadn't been heard since they didn't know when._ "Well, such a narrow-minded fool isn't fit to be a council member. You're dismissed, Damion".

_  
61. Fairy Tale :_

She looked the part of fairy-tale princess—blonde hair, blue eyes, white dress. But, he thought with a sense of strange pride welling in his chest, no fairy-tale princess would coat her hands in blood and sweat and whatever else she needed to help people heal. And for that, he loved Natasha more.__

62. Magic :

Both of the important women in his life used magic—his mother surrounded her sword with wind, and Natasha shielded her allies in light; and he fell somewhere in the not-so-in-between. That was fine: both of their magics could be—and were—shared with him.

_  
63. Do Not Disturb :_

When faced down with a Jehannan man with a sword as you tried to ask the healer a question; you thought twice before wasting her time with something trivial like a headache. __

64. Multitasking :

Natasha barely looked up from her sorting. "Yes, Lady L'Arachel, that is a valid point. But your interpretation of the Scripture is somewhat flawed—by "flaming chunks of hail", the scribes meant that...Oh, hello, Joshua. Is there something you need?"

He didn't doubt that she could heal the cut on his arm _and _continue organizing her herbs _and _argue her spiritual viewpoint all at once. But he felt something like pity for the woman. "Ah...it's nothing major, and you look busy. I'll come back later". __

65. Horror :

The total horror on her face as Joshua was carried into the tent couldn't be confused for any other emotion. __

66. Traps :

"I," He proclaimed, limping into her line of sight, "Hate mages". She saw the Elfire singes on his pant leg, and the spiderweb on his hat, and the lines on his hand where it had been smashed with a tome, _and thankfully, the peace-knot that was still on his sword; _and then she saw the sheepish Ewan and the slightly apologetic Lute at the opening to her tent.

"It's alright, children, he doesn't mean it," Natasha amended, guiding Joshua to a chair before she tugged the sticky web off of him. "...And Joshua," She said in a lower tone, "_You_ were the one who walked into their traps".__

67. Playing the Melody :

A violin was the last thing she expected him to come back with (_but he was a prince, you know, and they learned things like that_). He looked to Tethys, who sat on the end of a cot with her leg bandaged.

"If I can entertain them with this, you don't need to get up and dance. Listen to Natasha." The woman gave a nod, and the cleric smiled at him. "Gerik's here with her—c'mon," Joshua said to her, and Natasha's brow furrowed in confusion. "Get your flute and let's go keep the army cheery".

She didn't know how he knew she played an instrument as well. But they stood together beside the fire, her flowing tones backing him up as he played the melody. __

68. Hero :

"No? Get behind me, then..." He had said to the cleric, to his _own_ surprise. He never was one to play the hero.__

69. Annoyance :

Blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Stop picking at your bandages, Joshua".

"And if I don't...?"

Natasha _smiled_. "Then you'll simply make it easier to contract an infection and die".

..._She really could be scary when she was mad._

70. 67 :

"The procedure has a sixty-seven percent failure rate, but it's either this or loose your arm..." That was okay, he told her. Thirty-three percent was still an alright gamble.

_71. Obsession :_

He had two obsessions, he told her. One was keeping his sword as sharp as possible—and she muttered an 'I see' as he drew the weapon across the whetstone. Joshua never told her the other one, but he was sure she had guessed what it was by now.__

72. Mischief Managed :

"Those **stupid **mages _**again**_!" He growled, slamming his fist onto the table. Natasha looked at him, covered in soot and slime, saw the burns on his legs—and _my, _weren't those awfully high up on his thighs?!—and flushed as she set about healing the man.

Saleh, after glancing in at the pair, walked off with a very satisfied smirk on his face. _Well done, Ewan. _

_  
73. I Can't :_

I can't do this, I can't go back, I can't face her again after so long, I can''t, I can't...

The woman laid her hand on his arm. "Joshua...the queen is inside, being held captive. We have to save her..." He set his jaw and nodded determinedly. "...She...Joshua, are you Queen Ismaire's son?" She was a sharp woman, she had put it together—the time-frame of his traveling, the hair, the swordsmanship, _everything_ that pointed to him as the heir of Jehanna. And he could have said no, like he had to others in the past, but...

_...I can't lie to her. _

"Yes," He said, locking scarlet eyes with blue. "I am. Let's go save my mother".__

74. Are You Challenging Me? :

"...You have to get up," She said to him, frowning down at his reclined form. "You've been inside this tent for _five_ _days_ mourning. Enough's enough, Joshua". He rolled over so he wouldn't have to look at Natasha. "...I don't think that you can deal with getting up," She said quietly, but there was firmness in her tone.

"Are you challenging me?" He asked her with a snarl, flipping back to face her so quickly, sand flew and settled in dirty clouds around him.

"Think of it as a bet," She replied, "And if you win it, you can walk away from this tragedy with honor".

It was later, when he stood on the white dunes in victory, that he realized Natasha had said to him what she wished was said to her after her mentor died.__

75. Mirror :

Mirrors were a rarity among mercenaries, so when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in Neimi's, Joshua realized why Natasha flushed whenever he got too close to her. _...Well, I didn't turn out too bad -looking at all. In fact...I sort of look like Mother._

76. Broken Pieces :

He followed her instructions as best as he could, because he didn't want to hurt her as he removed the broken pieces of glass from her hand.__

77. Test :

Everybody who was to live in Jehanna had to pass a citizenship test, and Natasha was no exception. He sat silently beside her as the proctor looked on; watching the woman unroll the testing scroll that had come straight from the council. "Um...excuse me," She said to the instructor—Sarinah, he remembered, his arithmetic tutor—"But I don't understand this at all".

Joshua looked at the question, figuring it to be an improperly-worded set of commands she was having trouble with. But as he saw the page filled in the ancient language of his country—a language taught to the royal family by a select few scribes—the king growled angrily and snatched the scroll from Natasha, cursing in the same language as he stormed down the hallway towards the council room.

"So much like his parents," Sarinah sighed fondly, looking to the blonde beside her. "You're very fortunate, dear. And between you and I? I'm passing you no matter what your score".__

78. Drink :

"Drink this, it'll help the pain".__

79. Starvation :

"Starving yourself won't help them heal any faster, Natasha. Please...just eat a little".__

80. Words :

She didn't think that words could tell him how much she _felt_ for Joshua. So she'd just have to _show_.__

81. Pen and Paper :

Her messages needed no parchment and ink, he knew. Opening his eyes, the small bottle of violet liquid, sitting next to him in his bed, told him all she needed to say.

_Joshua—I _know _you got hurt in the skirmish last night and didn't come see me. So, I won't pester you about it because you, obviously, think that I don't want to help you. Here's proving you wrong. Take it, it'll help with the swelling._

...I love you, too.

82. Can You Hear Me? :

Something about this war is wrong, and I think it has to do with evil beyond comprehension that's possessed my emperor. Like anybody would listen to that.

Joshua didn't listen, not at first. But he always _heard _her. __

83. Heal :

The tip of her staff began to glow, and he thought _Ah!that's why you're here._

84. Out Cold :

Natasha let herself breathe as she felt for a pulse, and realized that he was just out cold.__

85. Spiral :

Growling darkly at his foe, Joshua shifted his weight and pulled his body and blade into a deadly spiral, clearing a path for himself and his companion to move through the cavern. "Natasha, come on! These things regenerate—they won't stay in pieces for forever!"

She looked at him, then to the bodies of the reanimated corpses. _Time to show him how I've progressed..._"Light, smite the evil and show the fallen to eternal rest! Shine upon us!"

He watched the magic spin out of her staff with a smile of approval. __

86. Seeing Red :

He leaned in close to kiss her, and for the first time since she began her work as a healer, Natasha was glad that all she could see was bright red.__

87. Food :

Apples, she found, were a staple of the Jehannan diet. It was a good thing they were her favorite food.

_  
88. Pain :_

Part of her heart twisted as he cried out in pain _(the trained medic in her continued to pull the arrow out)_. Another part felt relieved—not because the man she loved was forcing huge gasps of air from his chest to try and ease the searing burn in his neck, but because it meant that the projectile hadn't pierced his throat like she had initially feared.__

89. Through the Fire :

His home was being devoured by fire, and his mother's body was burning with her palace. He stood in the hall, flames lapping at the curtains around him and smoke curling at his feet, and wanted nothing more than to just sit down and let the heat devour him, too.

"Joshua," She coughed, "_Go!_". He realized then, with a start, that Natasha had been behind him, and was now leading him through the fire. __

90. Triangle :

Joshua looked at the three of them, sitting in a triangle beside a tree and talking. Natasha and the girl looked so much _alike_, he thought; and that man next to her seemed as at home with magic as she did—and then he remembered. _They're all from Grado...no wonder they band together._

91. Drowning :

**No! **He felt his innards twist and his eyes scanned the river in a panic for a flash of white or gold. It was a _river_, it had a _current_, and she was so _frail_...

And her head surfaced, she took a breath in, and then she swam to the bank like she was shoved into moving bodies of water daily. _Stupid woman who grew up by the ocean, making me worry like that._

92. All That I Have :

"It's not much," He said to her, waving his hand over the moonlight sands of Jehanna, "But it's all I have".__

93. Give Up :

"Joshua, don't you _dare _give up on me!" She shouted, a solid flow of healing light flowing from her very body, "Don't you _dare _give up!"__

94. Last Hope :

She was entrusted with the vital message of a murdered man. He was entrusted with the heritage of a dying woman.

_And, Light be dammed if the only ones left weren't each other's last hope!_

95. Advertisement :

L'Arachel began her usual loud speech about her glorious country and noble title, so he leaned over to the woman and muttered, "_This_ is a piss-poor advertisement for Rausten, huh?"

Her eyes twinkled, but she still told him to be kind. __

96. In the Storm :

The first time _he _took _her _hand, it was to help guide her through one of the raging sandstorms of Jehanna. And, from in the middle of a swarm of dust and heat, Natasha looked at him and _smiled_, and he felt his heart flutter. __

97. Safety First :

"Natasha...what _is _this?" He said, pulling at the canvas strap that stretched from one end of the wagon's bench to the other. That same strap had been joined by a buckle in it's middle by the cleric, and she tugged it tighter before replying.

"Isn't it ingenious? I mentioned my concerns about the hazards of the wagon, and Ewan got this wonderful idea! Franz helped me attach it this morning."

"Um...alright. What _is _it?"

"Well, it doesn't have a name yet...but it's a strap that will hold us onto the wagon in case it tips over—it minimizes the chance of injury. Safety first, you know".__

98. Puzzle :

Natasha looked from him to the broken bottles to the sheath of his weapon, and then back again. Shattered bits of (now empty) elixir containers lay across the back of the tent, the leather sheath perpendicular to them. And his hands were coated in pale blue—he had tried to clean it all up...She sighed, shook her head, but didn't try to solve the puzzle; because no matter what had happened, she was down three elixirs and she still loved Joshua. __

99. Solitude :

She had been so _alone_, running through the wilderness and avoiding villages for two weeks before she got to Serafew. She tried to wait until nightfall to enter the town (and would have, if the soldiers weren't looking for her)--after all, fugitives worked in solitude, right? And that's what she was now—a traitor to her country. A _criminal_.

_Imagine, then, the shock she got when a man wearing a peculiar hat actually spoke to her!_

100. Relaxation :

"This is relaxing," Natasha quietly noted, her head settling onto his bare shoulder as the rising sun began to paint the walls of their room with orange and red.

He looked down to the woman, and slid his arm around her waist. "Yeah. Yeah, it is".

**100 Little Pieces: End**


End file.
